Global Concepts

I am almost done with the Block Rockin' series.  this is #10....Global Concepts. have no idea who they are.

I'm thinking i want to put these 12 blocks together unusually instead of a normal setting. anyone know of any rock and roll fabric? that might be cool.

Black and White and Lime 1600 inch quilt

Even though i cut two 3" strips from all the fabrics in the Cumberland Collection line....i had 36 different pieces....the quilt top still turned out kind of small. it is about 60x80

The darks and lights didn't integrate the way i would have liked them to. 

I had 3 or 4 strips that were shorter than the usual 40" but that didn't seem to help.

But i like the lime green....it sort of wakes it up.

I just added another row of white and black along the edges to make it a bit wider. and, yes, i should have done that before i added the lime....but then i wouldn't have had enough of the lime to go around. i guess i could have put something else in the corners.

But...it is what it is and .... done is good.   still lots of those black and white fabrics. gotta find something else to do with them.

Do you think of the 1600" quilt when you need something in a hurry?  this was literally done in an afternoon.

Black and White Step Down Squares

Remember Ebony and Ivory? .... it was my friend, Mary's, design and our class all did one.  it looked like this.

The fabric line is The Cumberland Collection by Choice Fabrics. I really loved those fabrics and went and got more of it....quite a bit more. LOL

So, yesterday i finished piecing what i am calling Black and White Step Down Squares. i used the Cumberland Collection to make it. i saw the pattern somewhere online and stole it. LOL  it turned out 82x90" .

It went super fast and i am in love with it.

All you do is cut out 8 1/2" blocks.....4 1/2" blocks.....and 2 1/2" blocks. 

I made 4 patches with the 4 1/2" blocks and 16 patches....made up of four 4 patches.....with the 2 1/2" blocks. that way they were all 8" finished.

Made the border half white and half black. 

I want to make more of these with different colors. the next one will have less 8" blocks and more 4" blocks i'm thinking. 

PLUS....i still have more .....lots more....of The Cumberland Collection left over. more white than black. gotta find something else to make with it. probably enough left for a couple more quilts.  

I cut some of Cumberland up for a 1600" quilt......lots more still left. i see more B&W quilts in my immediate future.

Two Scrappy Tops

I'm sewing like a mad woman to use up scraps. i don't think it will ever actually happen....but i am working on it. the last quilt i did i needed 4" scrappy blocks and didn't find much of that size in the boxes, so i think progress is happening. 

I plan on going through all the scrap boxes and cut everything down into 3", 2 1/2" and 2" strips. that should help. it won't be so messy. 

This top has been sitting in the studio for a while....partly finished. finally buckled down and got it all together. i call it Selvage Framed Squares. those are selvages around the middle squares. it is 88" x 100"

Then i finished piecing this top .... The Plus Side. i saw it in a magazine a few days ago. it got pieced together quickly.  i wonder why some get done quickly and others sit for years waiting for me to finish them. this one is 82" x 94"

I've had the black/gray/white fabric for a while and am glad i found a use for it. the print that is around the plus signs is all gone. i still have a bit of the border fabric though. 

Just these 2 tops got 10.5 yards of fabric out of the stash. baby steps

Now i am cutting out black and white prints for the next top. i saw a photo somewhere online and decided i HAD to make it. hahahah   

Stay tuned

March Scrappy Challenge

The block for March was a split 9 patch. simple, right? hahahahahahaha  think who is in charge here. hahahaha

Normally i've been making 10 blocks each month.....well, this month i have 16. all because i didn't pay attention ....what's new.....and cut the HSTs wrong. so i just re-cut those and made more blocks. so i have 16 for this month.  

Here are a few samples. they all pretty much look the same...the same fabrics used in all blocks....just in a different place...a few differences.

2 or 3 of them have this little witch. i just love her.

Perhaps next month will be just as easy and i can make just 10.  we'll see.

Thanks, Judy

Tell it To The Stars - March

Here is the blocks for March for the Tell it To The Stars quilt with JudyL at www.patchworktimes.com

We made 2 of them.  went together without a hitch.

Thanks, Judy and Vicki

Now i am going to work on this month's scrappy challenge block. 

I'm in the Ice Age

Mother Nature is on steroids or something. we got some ice yesterday and now some snow on top of that. being March means nothing. it is cold....zero degrees this morning at 6:30. the furnace is running...the wood stove is cranking out heat....and the portable heater is going in the bathroom. and it is still cold in this house. and i am not usually cold....i'm the person running around in shorts all year long. not this winter. brrrr!

There is no studio time going on these days. the quilt on the frame has been there for a month. but i am about half finished with it....so some day...hopefully soon....i can get back to it. 

I have spent the last week making crumb blocks....about 200 of them. i emptied the box that held all the itsy bitsy pieces. i figured that was 4 yards of fabric that i used up. need about 85 more of them to make a quilt.....it takes 500.....so it will be a bit before i can save more itsy bitsy pieces to make the other blocks. that will be my second crumb quilt. 

Here is what the first one looks like. it lives on my couch. 

just sew itsy bitsy pieces together until you get a 5" block. them make 500 of them. hahahahaha

Gonna go find something to sew to start my day.

Stay warm....wherever you are.